Breakdown
by MoonlightSpirit
Summary: Stefan witnesses something he never thought he would see. Damon having a complete mental breakdown. Unable to get through to his older brother, Damon's only response being "Elena", Stefan calls her in hopes that she can somehow break through to him.
1. Breakdown

**This fanfic was based on **_**ally4580**_**'s fanfic **_I have something to say_**. I loved it and the ending really got to me, so this is a continuation of the ending. Enjoy!**

_**PLEASE READ THIS**_**: You may want to read **_I have something to say _**to understand this better. I will try to make it understandable for those who haven't read it though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

Stefan walked into the boarding house after hunting, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar sound as he stood outside the door. Sobbing. At first, he thought it might be Caroline or Elena, but the sounds were too low pitched to be a girl's. Had someone wandered inside?

Cautiously, Stefan opened the door to find a sight he would have never expected. Damon, crumpled on his knees the floor in the foyer, sobbing his arms wrapped around his stomach as if trying to hold himself together. Stefan was frozen for a moment, not sure what to do. He had never seen his brother cry, except when they were very little.

"Damon," Stefan said softly, walking slowly over to his older brother. Damon was either ignoring him or didn't hear him. All he did was repeat the same two words like a mantra.

"It hurt. It hurts."

Genuinely worried, Stefan kneeled in front him. If the sounds of Damon sobbing were nothing to actually seeing the tears on his pale face, the pure agony and hurt in his crystal blue eyes, slightly red from crying. Damon looked like he was in physical pain.

"Damon, what happened?" Stefan asked, frantic, putting his hands on Damon's shoulders. Was the attacker still in the house? Who was powerful enough to hurt Damon?

"Damon, who hurt you?" Stefan said loudly, shaking Damon slightly, trying to get his brother's attention. Suddenly, Damon let out a low, almost animalistic cry that tore right through Stefan's heart.

"Damon, what's wrong?" Stefan asked. For the first time, Damon answered, uttering a single word.

"Elena,"

Stefan's brow knit together.

"What about Elena?" Stefan said quickly, "Was she hurt? Kidnapped?" But Damon seemed unresponsive again, lost in his agony. His sobs had died to chocked whimpers. Stefan pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Elena's number.

"Hello?" came Elena's voice on the other line.

"Elena, are you okay?" Stefan said quickly, keeping a hand on Damon's shoulder, his eyes fixed on his crumpling brother's face.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Elena asked.

"Something's wrong with Damon," Stefan said frantically, "He's crying. He looks like he's in pain. He keeps saying 'it hurts'. The only answer I got out of him was your name."

"I'm coming over now," Elena said, worry laced in her voice. They hung up.

"Damon, come sit down, okay?" Stefan said softly. He helped Damon up and supported him to the couch. After helping Damon sit down, Stefan went to pour him a glass of human blood and held it out to Damon. But Damon ignored it, not even glancing in Stefan's direction. Stefan was relieved to hear Elena's car pull up to the boarding house and she walked in a few seconds later. Stefan walked over to where she stood at the staircase.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He's not responding to anything," Stefan said, "Not even human blood. Maybe you can get through to him." Elena nodded.

"What could have done this?" she asked him. Stefan shrugged.

"I've never seen him like this," Stefan said, "Only when we were very young. He was 12 the last time I saw him cry."

She walked over to Damon and sat next to him. She heard Stefan go upstairs, probably to give them some privacy.

"Damon," she said softly. Damon's eyes flitted up to her and Elena's heart broke at the look of pure pain in his eyes, the dry tear streaks on his face. What had happened to make Damon like this?

"Damon, what happened?" she said softly, taking his face in her hands, "Tell me."

"I-I can't," Damon choked out, his blue eyes suddenly hard, cold.

"Why not?" Elena asked. Damon's hard mask broke. A single tear escaped his eye and Elena wiped it away with her thumb.

"Will you ever be able to tell me?" she asked. Damon paused for a moment before answering.

"Maybe someday," he said softly. Elena nodded and wrapped her arms around Damon's neck, holding him tight. She felt Damon's arms wrap around her waist, his body trembling as tears escaped his eyes once again.

"Shhhh," Elena said softly, rubbing Damon's back soothingly, "Shhhh." She let Damon cry into her shoulder. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. Only that, after a while, Damon's even breathing told Elena he had cried himself to sleep. Whatever happened, what ever he was holding in, had drained him emotionally and physically. Careful not to wake him, Elena maneuvered them so that Damon's head was resting in her lap. Stefan came downstairs a few minutes later to find Elena softly stroking Damon's black hair. Elena turned her head around at the sounds of Stefan's footsteps. She held a finger to her lips, and then pointed to her ear.

"He's sleeping," she whispered.

"I can take him upstairs if you want," Stefan offered. Elena shook her head.

"It's okay," she said, "I'll stay down here with him." Stefan nodded in understanding, leaving and then coming back to drape a blanket over Elena to keep her warm and prop a pillow behind her head.

"Thank you," she whispered. Stefan gave her a small smile and nodded, looking down at his older brother's sleeping form before leaving. Elena looked down at Damon's face. It was finally peaceful, free of the pain and agony that had been etched in it before, the only evidence of the hurt, dry tears streaks on his pale cheeks. His lips moved as he mumbled in his sleep.

"Elena," he mumbled. Elena's heart skipped a beat. Was he dreaming about her?

"Elena," Damon murmured again, "I love you." Elena's breathe caught in her throat. The words sounded so…familiar. As if he had said it before, but she didn't remember Damon ever saying it.

She looked lovingly down at the sleeping vampire, a small smile twitching at the ends of her lips.

**So there's **_**Breakdown**_**. I hope you liked it! Please Review!**


	2. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**I know a lot of people are asking me to continue this, but unfortunately, I'm not. This fanfic was intended to be a sweet, heartbreaking one-shot and I want to leave it as that. Continuing it would diminish my original meaning for it.**

_~MoonlightSpirit~_


	3. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: MAYBE?

**Geez, you people know how to beat a girl down, don't you -_- Okay, I'll **_**think **_**about doing maybe a companion piece or something to this…No promises though...**

_~MoonlightSpirit~_


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